United
by Buria
Summary: Short story. OCC. Rose and Dimitri have been having marital issues for months. Can the love they knew overcome the shadows in their home? AN: wrote this for creative writing and changed the names in the story.


**Reposted the original and fixed the names. Sorry about that! And thank you for the reviews and story favourites, you guys are so sweet! **

**United**

Rose quickly began shrugging off her long wool coat and eagerly kicking off her favorite pair of leather boots. Long dark hair clinging to her face, and teeth chattering uncontrollably from experiencing the fierce storm brewing outside, she firmly closes the door behind her. After a long day of teaching kindergarteners how to spell their names she was exhausted, and she wanted, more than anything, to warm up by the fireplace and brew some hot cocoa for herself. While shaking her hair out around her, sprinkling drops of water all over the hardwood floors, Shaggy raced up to greet her, and Rose leans down happily as he licked her pale face. "Ew," was an understatement, but she shared Shaggy's enthusiasm nonetheless. Rose got the fire going, and started rubbing her hands together for warmth. It was exactly that moment she heard footsteps when her body turned completely immobile. The footsteps were coming closer. As if waking up, her hand shot out for the nearest object, a large candle holder, which she was prepared to use it as a weapon if necessary. Positioning herself to the side of the door, Rose couldn't be seen right away.

"Whoa! Hey, there—"

Dumbfounded by the sight of her husband, clad in loose sweat pants, a white T-shirt, and holding two cups of what she suspected might be hot cocoa, Rose hesitantly lowered the ridiculous object she was clutching, "You're home…What are you doing home so early?"

Dimitri shakes his head, a small smile playing over his lips. Her heart leapt at the sight of that smile. He didn't do it very often. Anymore. Damn shame. "Got off early," he admitted.

"Oh…Is that for me?"

He handed her a steaming mug of hot cocoa. It smelled undeniably delicious. Rose nods her head in appreciation. A moment of awkward silence hangs between them. She couldn't remember the last time they had sat down by the fire. Christmas? _No,_ _that can't be right_, she thought. It was April. They both made themselves comfortable in front of the fire on the dark red rug.

"How was your day?" She asked, blowing softly on her cup. She noticed that his light hair looked longer and curled around his ears, and finding herself wondering if maybe she should be calling _him_ Shaggy, as opposed to their flamboyant dog.

Dimitri shrugged, "Ivan's got me doing a new line of orders this month but, I can't really avoid another round. Barter's Business is selling at lower prices, so we'll have to do some catching up."

Rose nods. Of course he was concerned about work. She ignored this.

"You?" he asked.

An impulsive grin spread across her face. "I had a great day! The kids learned Tai Chi today," she exclaimed, remembering their uncontrollable laughter.

Dimitri smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

Something unpleasant coils in her stomach. She knows they both must be thinking about the same thing. Children.

The prospect of having children had been decided long ago and yet their marriage had suffered without it, and Rose was hardly oblivious to the consequences. And she felt she had to take responsibility for that because her aversion to having children was hers alone to bear.

"Feeling okay?" Dimitri asked. It was n an obvious attempt to lure the subject away from children. It wasn't a ridiculous question to ask but right then something about it bothered Rose. A lot.

Living with a rare heart condition had given her certain limitations but all in all, she had learned to live with it. So had Dimitri. The only symptom that had truly ever worried them was sudden, inexplicable time of death. And that didn't really count as a symptom to Rose at all. Not if she was just going to drop dead without warning. It's a terrible fear to live with but Dimitri taught her that no one chooses when they die and that her death wouldn't be any different from anyone else's.

"I'm fine," she said, "the pills help some."

This was an old conversation, and Rose realized she was enraged they were having it. Again.

He nods.

Rose took a sip of her hot chocolate. Is she really out of things to say? Already? "The storm's getting pretty bad," she noted, and then immediately, as if realizing how ridiculous it sounded to her own ears, she groans.

Dimitri arched an eyebrow curiously. "Yeah, lucky thing I got home before it got this bad."

"Damn it, Dimitri. I don't care about the storm!" she exclaimed, holding her mug in an iron grasp. Didn't he see how far apart they had drifted? Or is he just to consumed by work to take notice? Or maybe, and her stomach flooded with nerves, maybe he blamed her for them not having children.

His look of curiosity vanishes, replaced by genuine surprise. "Rose," he said, and let out a long annoying sigh that to her seems to mean he knew exactly what she was talking about. "I just got home from work. Can we just not?"

Rose exhaled loudly in response. "I'm not saying we have to hash everything out right this second but don't you think we should at least talk about it? I mean how much longer can we go without this conversation?"

"Knew I should of stayed at work," he muttered under his breath.

Rose yanked a pillow off the couch and proceeded to beat him with it, under the suspicion that he is only half joking. "What's that supposed to mean? You'd rather be at work, huh? Work, work, work," she is taunting him and the worst part is knowing she enjoyed it.

His eyes widen, Rose had never spoken to him like this before. It felt kind of good for a change.

"My job," he says, in a forcibly even voice, "Takes me places. If I had it my way, I'd take you with me, but you can't go a day without seeing your kids."

"_Your_ kids? You make me sound like a mother hen!"

"Well, that's the way you talk about them, like they're your children. They're not, Rose."

Rose stares. "Do you blame me for not having children?" Her insecurities had never included _this, _and God knew she had her share of insecurities_._

Dimitri grows pensive but the tension in his shoulders remains. "No, yes, no…Listen, I knew what I was walking into when I married you. I thought I didn't need children…But don't act like I'm the only one.

"What?!" says Rose with outrage. "We can't take that chance. It doesn't matter what we want. You know we can't. You know how dangerous it would be to pass on my condition! How can you say that?"

"Because, Rose, you love kids."

Rose opens her mouth to object—mostly on impulse— except, that was true. She did love kids. Spending her days looking after Kindergartens was amazing, no how matter how tired she was when she came home.

"It doesn't matter. It's out of the question."

He shrugs. "Because it's only your choice?"

Rose looks at him but he was avoiding her gaze. "No, of course not. But…" she sighed. What could she say that he didn't already know? How could she make him see things the way she did? "You know I have limitations. Physical duress is one of my biggest blockades. I have to walk in the rain just to get back home at all. But having a child?" She shook her head. "I can't protect a baby if I can't even run in the rain."

Dimitri nods slowly. "You don't think I can take care of you guys?" His expression was a little hurt.

"No!" she exclaimed, wanting to scream. This conversation was exhausting. "But we've always been equals. Taking on a child would make us unbalanced. Superman had a sidekick you know."

"Um, I think you mean Batman."

"No. I meant superman. Jimmy Olsen. You see? I don't want you to take this on your own. Not unless I can pull my share too."

And she couldn't. For a moment it had seemed like things between them were okay but the unpleasant tension returned and there was nothing she could do to make it disappear.

Having a child was just way too risky.

Yet, it was what both she and Dimitri wanted. Adoption was always an option but she heard from several friends of hers how long a process that was.

Rose stares into the orange red flames, cackling against the wood.

She had come to terms with having Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. But she wanted children very, very badly and she didn't want to lose Dimitri.

And that's when she realizes what's wrong. They were so obsessed with the thought of children they hadn't even paused to consider if their marital issues had anything to do with children at all. She feels so stupid. She was angry because Dimitri spent his days working and travelling to exotic places his work took him. What if he found someone who could give her something he couldn't? The thought had crossed her mind more than once. And it was this constant flow of insecurities that made Rose realize that children were only part of the problem.

"Dimitri," she murmured, afraid to look at him. "Have you ever—have you ever been with anyone else? I mean, have you ever wanted to be with someone else?"

They had been tip toeing around each other for months. She had even mistaken him for a burglar! Their problems had nothing to do with children, not really.

Dimitri palmed her face, "No…How could you think that? Of course not."

She reads the honesty in his gaze, and yeah she kind of felt like rejoicing. Relief—warm and comforting as the fire makes her dizzy. "I just thought maybe…"

"No. Absolutely not. I cannot believe you even thought..Wow, I feel like a jerk"

"No," she insisted, wrapping her fingers around his wrists. "Don't."

"I'm the one who's been jealous of your kids and I should have just talked to you about it and the fact that you've been these kinds of doubts…Well, that's my fault. I should be around more. Damn it, I should be here with you."

Rose felt something in her lighten. "You mean that?"

He pressed his forehead against hers, reminding her of all the silly times he did. She felt like a void inside of her was being filled, a void she had pretended to ignore, and only now was the full weight of that pressing on her.

"I don't want us to fall apart. I don't want to lose hope."

"Me neither. Let's make a deal. From now on, if we ever have doubts, we'll come too each other. Right away. No buts!"

Rose sighs and leans against him. He wraps an arm around her shoulder and kisses her on the temple.

"Haven't been to "Tony's in a while."

Rose looks up at him with surprise in her eyes. "Years," she corrects him, "We haven't been there in months." Tony's is an old Chinese restaurant that served the best chicken and rice Rose had ever endeavored.

"You hungry?" he took her hand in his and smiles.

This was the smile she had been missing, she realized. "Yeah," she said, and squeezes his hand "famished."


End file.
